Keith Gen-Uary
by Aquatic Decendants
Summary: I started this thing on Tumblr called Keith Gen-Uary. I hope you like the one-shots. Gen!
1. Sam and Colleen

**So, I started this thing on Tumblr called Keith Gen-Uary and I decided to post my first one-shot. Hope you like it.**

 **Sam and Colleen Holt**

It was ridiculous. Keith didn't need a babysitter. But apparently, Shiro didn't trust Keith alone after last week's... incident. He was fourteen! He was highly capable to be alone in his dorm room _without_ getting into a fight. But, Matt overheard their conversation and got all excited. He suggested that he brings Keith over to his family so that he could finally meet them. Meeting his sister, Katie, wouldn't be possible though. She was in school and by the time she'd be back, Keith will be well on his way. But right now, he was crammed into the backseat of Shiro's car, reading one of his favorite books. Matt took the front seat, bubbling in excitement.

"Are you sure you can't stay for a little while?" Matt asked, for the third time that trip. Keith rolled his eyes.

Shiro chuckled, "Maybe after the meeting. But no, I am afraid not Matt. I will say 'hi', but then I'll be on my way."

Matt pouted, "Oh well. Keith and I will have _loads_ of fun! Won't we Keith?" The boy turned around to face him. Keith glared up at the grinning boy. If they got in a crash, Matt would not survive the fall.

But the boy wouldn't stop staring if Keith kept his mouth shut, so he looked back at his book with a sarcastic, " _Yay_."

"C'mon, Mr. Grouchy! Where is your spirit?" Matt asked, facing forward again. Keith replied with an audible huff. He sighed dramatically, opening a magazine. Of course, it was all about robotics. "It seems I am the only enthusiastic person about this situation."

Shiro sighed, "Keith, it's not that bad. I know Matt's parents. They are really nice people. And if I am late, I am sure you will like Katie. From the stories I've heard, she is really into conspiracies." Matt made an inhuman moan but Shiro ignored him. "And Sam also likes conspiracies -" another pathetic moan from Matt - "Like that Mothman book your reading."

Keith blew his hair out of his eyes, "He better not touch this."

Matt kicked at the glove compartment, "He has a copy of it. And some notes. Mom is the only normal person in the family."

Shiro laughed, "Matt, don't be like that. I have seen some of your conspiracy boards."

Matt blinked, "Well... yeah, but it isn't as ridiculous as a huge, flying _moth_ man."

Keith glared up at Matt, "There is photo evidence, Matthew Holt. Do not speak a word against it. You know it's real." He turned his attention back to his back. "And it is _not_ fake either."

Matt poked his tongue out at Keith and turned back to his magazine. There was silence in the car after that, until Keith felt the car pull up to a stop. He only knew it wasn't a traffic light when Matt shrieked and hopped out of the car. Keith sighed and pulled his knees higher onto the seat. He heard voices from outside of the car. The sound of new people spiked his social anxiety. It finally sunk in that Keith was gonna be alone. In a foreign house. Without Shiro. Shiro always helped him around in the Garrison when the crowds got too much when too many people were around. Maybe if he was just really quiet, Shiro will forget he's there and drive off with him.

"Hey, buddy," He heard Shiro's voice from the front seat. His head snapped up and he became more aware that he was hyperventilating. "Calm down. I will walk with you inside. Matt will be there. If it gets too much, just go tell him. He knows about your anxiety."

Keith blushed, "I'm fine."

Shiro pouted, "Keith. I don't wanna be pulled out in the middle of my meeting cause you were getting a blackout panic attack."

Keith glared at Shiro, "I don't -"

"Keith, please. I promise it will be fine. I will be back at one, and then you will be at the Garrison again with Matt," Keith looked away from Shiro, playing with the pages of his book. "Tell you what, when I pick you up, I'll bring a chocolate cake. Your favorite? Besides, you will have a great day with the Holts." Keith looked up at Shiro and shrugged.

"I... I guess so," He mumbled. He heard the car door open and looked up in time to see Shiro open his door. He pushed off the door before he could stumble out. He put the bookmark in place and accepted Shiro's hand. Shiro helped him out of the car and patted his shoulder.

"You won't regret it," he smiled. Keith couldn't help it, he smiled back up at Shiro.

"Mom! Mom! Mom! I brought my dorm mate over! C'mon! You have to meet him!" Keith heard Matt scream from the other side of the car.

Keith hid behind the car, "Nope. Nuh-uh. No, I regret it already."

Shiro patted Keith's shoulder. "It's gonna be okay."

Keith jumped as Matt jumped up over the hood of the car, grabbed his hand, and pulled him around the front. Give only heard a distant ' _come on_ ' before he was standing at the front door. A woman was looking down at him with curious eyes. Her hair was the same color as Matt's and her eyes were much similar as well. "Mom! This is Keith Kogane. My roommate from the Garrison! Keith, this is my mom. Her name is Colleen. But you can call her Mrs. Holt if you feel the need to."

Colleen smiled warmly down at Keith. She held out her hand and Keith felt electricity shoot down his spine. He wasn't sure if he should shake her hand or back off. He nervously raised his hand and was surprised at her firm grip. "It's nice to meet you, Keith. Matt has talked a lot about you."

Keith just gave an inaudible, " _uh-huh_ ", before ripping his hand away. Quick enough to get away from her, but slow enough not to come off as rude. He broke eye contact from the woman, looking down at his boots. He heard Shiro approach and stand next to him. Keith stepped behind Shiro a bit. He didn't like this already.

"Hello, Colleen," Shiro said, shaking her hand. "How are you?"

"Shiro!" Colleen said, her smile going brighter. "I'm just fine. From what I've heard, you adopted young Keith here, huh?" Shiro chuckled and nodded his head. "Tell me, was I overreacting about being a parent?"

Shiro crossed his arms over his chest. "I still think you were. Sure, it's hard, but Keith is much calmer than Matt." He leaned in and whispered, " _For the most part._ "

Yeah, sure. I'm not standing _right_ here.

"Do you wanna come in?" Colleen asked.

Shiro shook his head, "No, no. I'm afraid not. I have that meeting to attend to. Just try and keep Keith calm. He's a bit anxious in social situations."

Keith blushed and slightly elbowed Shiro in the hip. "Shiro."

"Keith."

It was a losing battle already. Keith crossed his arms and nervously played with the cover of the book. He didn't even notice Shiro was leaving when he felt a hand on his shoulder and heard him say:

"See you at one?"

Keith grimaced and kicked the back of his shoe. "Er - yeah. B-bye."

Shiro hugged him.

He.

Hugged.

Him.

Right in front of Colleen and Matt. " _Shiro_ ," He argued trying to push away. Shiro had the heart to give a soft chuckle and pull away.

"You'll be fine, Keith," he said. "Bye."

Keith watched him walk toward the car. He watched until Shiro drove off. When the car was out of sight Colleen turned to Keith, "So, Keith." He turned to her and immediately felt uncomfortable. "What do you wanna do first?"

To be honest, he wanted to call Shiro and fake a panic attack. He wanted to go back to the Garrison and hide from the Holts forever. Not meet Mr. Holt. As in, Matt's dad.

He followed Colleen down the hallway to the kitchen. Sam Holt was standing at the stove, making, what seemed like, french toast. At the first glance of his dad, Matt hurried forward and tackled his father's waist. "Dad!"

"Woah! Matt?" Sam immediately turned off the stove and laid the finished bread on a plate. "When did you get here?"

Matt laughed, letting go of his father. "Just now. And look!" Matt hurried over and grabbed Keith's wrist again, pulling him over. "This is Keith Kogane. Shiro's little bro."

Sam smiled down at Keith, "Ah, yes. The name's Sam. I'm sure you know that already?" Keith shook his hand and nodded his head, still not speaking a word. "I have read some of your Garrison files. You have impeccable piloting skills." Keith couldn't help the small smile that came on his face at that. He wasn't exactly cocky, but he was proud of his piloting skills. He wasn't used to praise from other people than Shiro, though.

He felt tense standing in front of Sam and maybe Matt sensed it, because the next thing he knew, Matt was steering him out of the room. "I'm gonna show Keith my bedroom! Then we'll come back down."

" _Alright!_ " came the reply from Colleen and Sam behind their back. They hurried up the stairs and past a couple of doors. Keith noticed one of the doors was plastered with radiation and large blaring 'KEEP OUT' signs. He took note not to look at the room. They entered the room right next to a bathroom and for a second, Keith thought he was entering their dorm at the Garrison.

There were robot magazines everywhere and study work on the desk. A 'Garrison Rules' banner was displayed on one of his walls.

A picture of Matt and a little girl was on his wardrobe. Despite being younger than him, the girl was flipping off the camera. "Is that Katie?" the question forced out of Keith's mouth before he can stop it.

Matt jumped at the mention of her name. "Huh?" he looked at where Keith was looking at and he smiled brightly. "Oh, yeah! That is. For a second there I thought you meant in person. But yeah, that's my sister. She's the one with the 'keep out' door." He chuckled. "She isn't so big on social interaction either. Man, I really wish you could've met her today."

Keith shrugged. Meeting his parents were stressful enough, "One day perhaps."

"Yup," Matt nodded. They stayed silent for a while before Matt cleared his throat. "Okay, now for the reason I brought you up here. You seem a bit stressed. Look, if you feel uncomfortable, feel free to talk to me about it. Mom and Dad won't judge."

Keith nodded, "I - I know."

Matt put a hand on Keith's shoulder and smiled at him, "You'll do fine today. It's only for two hours."

Keith crossed his arms. "I know. I'll be fine."

Matt looked a bit skeptical but nodded. "Okay. But remember. If it gets too much, feel free to tell me."

"Yeah," Keith said. "I will."

Matt grinned, "Okay, we better get downstairs. Dad makes the _best_ french toast."

Matt wasn't lying. He was a bit hesitant to eat at their house, but it was really good. Matt kept telling his parents about his month at the Garrison. Sam hadn't been there, so he was very intrigued into what his son had to say. Colleen made sure there were leftovers for Katie and smacked Matt's hand away every time he tried to snatch some.

Matt offered to help Mrs. Holt with the dishes, which left him and Sam alone in the dining room. He felt the comfort vanish within seconds and tried to keep his gaze off the man.

Keith was always uncomfortable when he saw someone's parents. It's why he always tried to stay away from people. Since he never had a mom or dad, he never understood how to behave around them. It left him confused and on the verge of a panic attack. Now that neither Shiro _or_ Matt was here, he lost any escape code.

"I see you believe in the legends of Mothman?" Keith's head jerked up to Sam, to his book and then back again.

"Er... yes, sir," Keith said. He already didn't trust his own words.

But Mr. Holt only laughed. "Yes, Katie and I have been working on that mystery for quite some time. We believe it exists. And you?"

Keith cleared his throat. "Y-yeah. There is a possibility."

There was silence for a while until Sam leaned in with a smirk and said, "What if I told you that I met him personally?"

Keith looked up wide-eyed. Sam grinned, probably thinking that Keith believed him. But he did _not_ believe him. Only luck itself can escape the terrible clutches of Mothman. It's what made it so fantastic. Uncomfort immediately turned into disbelief. "That's not possible. He would've swallowed you on first sight. You can't bargain with a legend like him."

Sam crossed his arms. "Just like the others. No one believed me the day I told them I met the legend itself."

"Because it isn't true," Keith said. "You can't just play around with him like he's a joke."

Sam chuckled, "Oh, he is no joke, indeed. My bargaining didn't help for as much as I tried. I was able to escape him, and no one believes me."

"Pff," Keith blew the hair out of his face. "You did _not_ meet him. There is _no way_."

Sam got up. "Come with me and I will prove it to you."

Keith hesitated but got out of his seat and followed Sam upstairs. They walked past Matt's room to the last door. When they entered, Keith noticed this was Sam's office. On one side, was a bunch of science things. On the other, there were conspiracies. That caught Keith's interests. Apparently, Shiro wasn't lying.

"Look at this picture over here," Sam said. "Focus on that one thing."

Keith walked over and saw it was the bridge sighting of Mothman. He looked closely to the mothman figure. There was no way this was a fake image even though Matt has tried to prove him wrong. And then large red eyes replaced the image and cold wind shot onto Keith's side. He jumped back with a yelp only to hear Sam laugh from behind the board.

Mr. Holt came around the board and put down a picture of Mothman on his desk. He turned off his Russell Hobbs fan in one click. Keith glowered at the man. "How many victims have fallen to this prank of yours?"

Sam shrugged. "Colleen, Matt, Katie, Shiro, whoever comes over, really. They all fall for it."

"Well, if it makes you feel better," Keith said. "I believed you for a second there."

Sam looked proud, "Good to know."

Keith laid down on his back on the couch. Matt was sitting next to him playing video games. Sam was busy with work upstairs while Colleen was cleaning up the house. It was one more hour until Shiro comes back. He hid his excitement behind his book.

The Holts were cool. Really. He was just really anxious.

Keith was so lost in his thoughts, he has read the sentence over four times. He decided to put the book aside and concentrate on his breathing. He was starting to get a panic attack. The quiet of an unfamiliar house was getting to him. He knew he could talk to Matt about this, but he preferred not to. Despite what Matt said, he felt like he was gonna bother him.

"I'm gonna go and get myself some water," Keith said, getting up off the couch. Matt nodded, too invested in his video game. Keith walked down the hallway into the kitchen. Colleen was there, wiping off the counters.

"Oh! Hello, Keith," Colleen said. Keith froze in his tracks. His heart raced a little quicker.

He cleared his throat, "H-Hi." He hated how awkward he sounded.

"Need anything?" Colleen asked. She was still smiling sweetly at him.

Keith looked away from her, "I was just - er - getting myself some w-water."

Colleen turned around and grabbed a glass from one of the cupboards. "Alright. Sit and wait over there."

Keith felt himself shaking. Colleen wasn't particularly scary, but his panic attacks spiked when he was around her. His dad was alive long enough to be a bit more comfortable around Sam. But he didn't even know you needed a mother until he was four. He sat down at one of the counters and looked everywhere but at her. He looked up with a start when she put the glass of water down in front of him.

"Th-thanks," Keith said, playing with the glass. The ripples on the water started to make him nauseous. He saw Colleen sit next to him and felt the nausea increase.

"You look a little paler," She said from her seat. "Are you alright?"

Keith nodded, " _Uh-huh_."

He felt her hand underneath his chin, tilting his face up to look at her. "You can tell me if something is bothering you. I won't judge. Katie also struggles with social anxiety."

Keith nodded, "M-Matt told me. About her. And uh... yeah."

Colleen smiled warmly again, "He does speak a lot about her. Ever since they first met. He always had a story to tell." Keith looked away from her again. Her hand has already fallen back to her lap. "You don't need to feel uncomfortable here, Keith. It's okay to talk. I'm all ears."

Keith shrugged, still not looking up at her. He didn't know why the words came out of his mouth, but he couldn't stop them. "I never had a mom. I knew my dad, but I don't even remember her. I - I don't know what to - um - say, I guess."

There was silence in the kitchen. The only sounds were the kitchen sink, the video games from the next room and the angry yells from Matt every time he lost. "I understand," Colleen finally said. Keith looked up at her. "I've never had a good relationship with my mother until two years ago. We finally made up and she passed away a month later. It got harder. But I was able to stay strong. And from everything Matt has told me, you are also very strong, Keith." Keith blushed but didn't look away. She wasn't getting emotional or anything, but she looked stronger about the subject. Keith completely forgot about his anxiety for a moment. "It's alright. You don't need to address me any differently than regular people. Just one rule: Do not call me Mrs. Holt. It makes me feel old."

Keith couldn't help the laugh that escaped his mouth. It felt great to feel the anxiety wash away so smoothly. Colleen seemed proud enough and went back to cleaning off the counters.

Time seemed to fly by since then. Keith helped Colleen clean the house and later joined Matt in a video game. When they were done with the game, Keith and Matt talked to Sam. Keith started to talk about the book he was reading and refused to believe Sam when he started talking about his autograph from Mothman. It was clearly the author! Keith wasn't stupid.

Matt had dozed off on his dad's work chair.

Shiro arrived five minutes late, but Keith didn't even realize. They said goodbye to the Holts and walked off to the car. Keith took the front seat this time since Matt was gonna spend a week at his family. As promised, Shiro had a chocolate cake in the back seat.

As soon as they pulled out the driveway, Keith saw a school bus stop at the side of the road. He could already hear Matt's complaints in his head. But he saw the girl climb off the bus and hurry up to the house before they turned the corner.

"And?" Shiro asked with a smile.

"And what?" Keith asked, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Did you regret it?" Shiro asked with a grin.

Keith huffed and looked away from Shiro, "It was fine." It was awesome.


	2. Kosmo

**Second day of Keith Gen-Uary! Yay!**

 **Kosmo**

BOOM!

The blue explosion stretched a couple of feet wide, and the force pushed Keith and Krolia back a little.

"What's that?" Keith asked, looking up at Krolia.

She studied the crash from afar, "I don't know." Keith looked back at where the blue explosion came from. There was nothing but a white mist now. He saw something pass in his vision. When he looked, a large Abyss creature was scuttling towards the source. He didn't get a good look at it, but it was definitely a predator.

"Let's go find out," Keith said, using his jetpack to push forward. Krolia followed close by. It took long minutes of running and flying to get to the swirl of white mist. Blueish-white specks dotted the sky. Keith crouched low, walking up behind one of the bushes. He took his blade in his hand, immediately it formed into a sword. Krolia was right behind him, gun at the ready.

Keith pushed the large leaves aside and saw ugly Abyss creatures scattered around. They had four orange eyes, their pincers were raised at the ready. They were cornering one of the most amazing animals Keith has ever seen. It was blue. It looked like a wolf pup. Looking around at its predators. "We have to help it. Come on."

Without another word, Keith jumped up from his hiding place and slashed at a nearby creature. It scuttled back in alarm. He heard the lasers of Krolia's gun as she tried to get a direct hit. Despite its attackers, they still tried to get closer to the wolf. Keith blocked it's path, hacking with his sword. He cut off one of it's grotesque looking pincers. It squealed and turned its attention on Keith. It's beady orange eyes scanning him warily. Keith twisted his sword in challenge. The creature came down on him, unhinging its jaw.

Keith slashed up with his sword, impaling it deep into the creatures' head. He slashed with his sword again, getting rid of its legs. He felt someone's eyes on him. Or something. It followed him as he finished off the creature. With one last shot at the other one, Krolia pocketed her gun.

"Do you know this creature?" Krolia asked, hand on her hip. Keith finally turned from glaring at the beast and turned his attention to the wolf. It was looking at him with black and orange eyes. It kept his gaze.

Keith shook his head in response, "No." He kneeled in front of the wolf and raised his hand cautiously. The wolf sniffed at his hand and leaned into the touch. Keith chuckled, "We saved your life, don't waste it." Keith got off the ground and looked at Krolia. "We gotta find proper shelter. I'm sure this little guy will be fine."

Krolia nodded her head and Keith followed her out of the crater. He smiled back at the wolf and climbed past the rocks, using his jetpack for the extra flight. He accepted Krolia's hand as they got up another rock but nearly tripped as he heard a strange, sharp _whoosh_ of wind nearby. Instinctively, Krolia grabbed onto Keith's shoulder and pulled him up. Keith's heart was racing from the shock.

"Are you alright?" Krolia asked as she kneeled next to him. Keith nodded his head, taking a deep breath to steady his breathing.

"Yeah," He replied. "I'm fine." He scanned his surroundings and then looked back at Krolia. "D-Did you hear that? That sound?"

Krolia's eyes widened a little, "You heard it too?"

Keith studied their surroundings but saw nothing that could've made that noise. It couldn't be one of those flashes either because he didn't see a flashback. Or something from the future. Flashforward? Nevermind. Keith pushed himself up and brought out his blade. At Krolia's confused gaze, Keith shrugged and said, "Just in case."

XXX

They found a strange curved cave that seemed safe enough for the night. They sat down for a while and one of the flashes started up again. Just a memory back to when Keith was a kid. Meeting Shiro for the first time. Krolia had turned to Keith with a confused gaze and asked, "Who was that?"

Keith smiled, the warm memories of his brother resurfacing. "That was Shiro. He... He was like a brother to me." He smiled at Krolia and continued. "Still is."

Now, Keith was out on the forest of the whale, gathering wood for a fire. He jumped as he heard the _whoosh_ of wind again. He looked around, sword drawn. There was nothing in his line of sight. He jumped forward as something nipped at the scabbard on his belt. He spun around, ready to hack whatever was there until…

His scabbard was gone. Now it was in the little wolf's mouth. It stared up at him with it's black and orange eyes, softly chewing on the scabbard.

"Hey! Give that back," Keith shrunk the sword back and pointed down at the ground in demand. The wolf's eyes jumped to the sword's action. Dropping the scabbard, it hopped forward toward his dagger. Keith held it out of reach. "Nuh-uh! You'll hurt yourself."

The wolf whined but Keith picked up the scabbard and stuck it back to his belt. Sheathing his blade, he turned back to the wolf. It was trying for puppy eyes. Darting to look at the blade than at Keith. Keith, in return, shooed it off. "No, go. Be free."

The wolf didn't move. Cocking its head slightly to the side in confusion. Its tongue was slightly hanging from its mouth.

Keith moaned, trying to deny it was cute. "Go on. Have fun." He turned around and picked up the wood in his hands. He heard the puppy's sad whine behind him, sending a cold chill down Keith's back. He pouted at the creature. Its eyes were shining like the blue specks around that crater. It was so cute! No. No. It was _not_ cute. Keith will not fall for the thing's tricks. He looked down at the logs in his hands and noticed a rather thin one on top of the pile. He shuffled the logs in his hands and picked up the stick. The wolf seemed to get excited.

"You want this, boy?" Keith asked. The wolf looked a bit confused, cocking his head to the side again. All excitement gone. Keith threw the stick. But the wolf didn't move. "Go get it." No movement. Keith lowered the logs to the ground and kneeled before the wolf. "Go ahead. Get it."

The wolf looked from the stick to Keith and back again. It made a confused whine.

Keith huffed and picked up his stash again. He walked off. At the sound of a snapping twig behind him, he looked back to see the wolf standing there. What caught his interests was it's paw, hovering above the ground. He could hear Krolia behind a couple of the trees already, he can just ignore the wolf but he couldn't move.

Keith put the logs down for almost the third or fourth time that trip. He kneeled down and reached out. "You okay there, buddy?"

The wolf whined and limped forward a bit. It sat down and Keith carefully took the wolf's paw in his hand. He studied the fur and was surprised at how soft it felt. He turned a paw a bit and heard the wolf squeak in protest. "It's okay. _It's okay_." He turned his paw a little slower and noticed a thorn in its metacarpal pad. "Got yourself hurt again, huh?" The wolf whined in response.

Keith sat down. Cross-legged in front of the wolf, he slowly pulled the thorn from its paw. When he finally got it out, he flung it to the side. He smiled down at the wolf and patted its head. "There. Better?" The wolf hesitantly put its paw to the ground and pushed himself up. It chunked a bit in discomfort but licked Keith's hand in thanks. Keith regretted taking his gloves off. In seconds, his hand was covered in wolf drool. "Good to know."

Keith got up and gathered the wood again. He heard the wolf following close behind. He sighed as he watched the wolf march by his side. "Fine. You can stay with me." Great. The wolf already imprinted on him. Keith came back to the campsite to see Krolia waiting anxiously.

"Where were - what is that thing doing here?" She asked at the sight of the wolf.

Keith patted the wolf's head again. Its fur was so soft. "It's not dangerous. Don't worry." He laid the wood in the middle of the campsite. He looked up and noticed what Krolia was busying herself with. "So... we're just gonna eat them now?"

Krolia looked at the dead abyss creatures that harassed the wolf earlier and shrugged, "Revenge?"

Keith still had to get used to the concept of this being his mom and this was really helping. Keith sat down on one of the nearby rocks, the wolf following after him. As Krolia tried to build a fire, Keith's hand automatically stroked through the wolf's fur. It took a strangely long time for the next flash to hit. This time Keith heard the faint screaming of someone he knew. He didn't know who exactly, but the next thing he saw was a crash and lasers shooting all over the place. Then the vision stopped. That was definitely from the future.

He heard the wolf chunking in confusion as the fire started, back away a little. "It's okay, boy. Come on." Keith nudged the wolf forward a bit as Krolia started to build some weird contraption around the fire. The wolf came a bit closer and sneezed at the fire, turning it's gaze away from the flames.

Turns out the contraption was some sort of cooking gadget. While they were eating, Keith noticed the wolf staring up at him with pleading eyes. He looked down with a smile, "You must be hungry."

Keith held out the piece of meat in his hand, making the wolf draw back a bit. It sniffed the meat a bit before snatching it from his hand. Keith smiled down at the wolf. He wondered if it could speak? And what was its name?


	3. Matt

**Third day and still going.**

 **Matthew Holt**

Keith thought he might just die.

The only thing keeping him grounded to life was the insistent _tap, tap, tap_ of his feet against the floor. It was probably too late already, cause he could see the light. It burnt his retinas in a subtle sort of way. He closed his eyes, only seeing the red spots of the light's doing. He let out a small whine. He has heard rumors that it lowered the pain level but it didn't seem to do anything. Cautiously and carefully, Keith opened his eyes again to face the horrible beam of light raining down on him. He could already feel the warm heat of death crowning him. He let out another low whine.

"Stop being overdramatic," he heard distantly. Shiro poked him in the leg like it was a form of comfort. It wouldn't work now. Keith was too far gone. He could only respond in a miserable huff. "Keith, there is like thirty other kids here -" it was too late to play with the other kids. They have all slowly gained the faces of his sworn enemies. He will never give them a chance. "- they need rooms too." Keith huffed again. Obviously, they didn't need rooms. They were so berserk they could be mistaken for animals. Animals slept outside. Survival instincts will kick in eventually. "We just have to be patient." Any longer and Keith will be in the cold, clammy clutches of the reaper himself. He didn't have time to be patient.

He heard Shiro sigh and basically _heard_ the pout in his voice, "Keith, you're gonna hurt your eyes."

Keith closed his eyes again, only red spots were seen under the lids. He made a mumbling noise that sounded vaguely like, " _Better?_ "

Another sigh erupted from Shiro's mouth somewhere and Keith heard him continue scribbling in his notebook. Probably graphing Keith's pain level. If anything it has skyrocketed now. A blonde woman came out of the office. She strode to the people _next_ to them and gave them a key. Keith peeked to see who was the lucky candidate. James Griffin. Probably the key of the gateway to hell. James had no place in Keith's heaven.

He closed his eyes again since Shiro wasn't too impressed about his staring into the light. What Shirogane _didn't_ know was that this was an easier few steps to death. People could die in their sleep. If they got a key _right now_ , Keith might survive. When the blonde woman returned, it was only to go back into her office. Keith decided he didn't like that woman. She kept giving him false hope. He didn't like the janitor either. He was just sitting there, reading a magazine with a ' _the floors can clean themselves_ ' look on his face.

The floors absolutely _did not_ clean themselves.

After three other lucky students got their room keys (all to which Keith gave a ' _take me with you_ ' sort of look) the woman finally chose them. Keith noticed the tag ' _Merida_ ' on her breast pocket.

"Alright," she said shortly, handing Shiro a key. "I was unsure of which room to give him at first. Not many people of his age. But, there is a lone boy in room B14 that will allow a roommate of any age. Come with me and I will show you to your room." Keith got off the chair in unison to Shiro, slinging his bag over his shoulder and they both followed Merida out the door.

They walked down the hallways of the Garrison for a while. Keith took in the walls, the hanging lamps and desks laid out at the walls. Orange streaks and boards led them to the dormitories. They walked a few more steps before they stopped in front of a door with an orange 'B14' on display. Shiro gave Keith the key and ruffled his hair. "I got somewhere to go. But have fun."

Keith glared at Shiro's action. He watched as Shiro walked back down the halls. He stepped toward the door and laid the key on the scanner on Merida's command. The door whizzed open and Keith saw a messy room with a bunk bed. There was one desk in the corner next to the window. Magazines were strewn on the floor. They were shoved together like it was roughly tidied up. At the desk sat a boy with light copper brown hair and amber eyes. His glasses glinted in curiosity. From the notebooks on the desktop, Keith assumed he was studying.

"Matthew Holt, this is Keith Kogane. Your new roommate," Merida said shortly, before leaving the two alone. Keith felt uncomfortable under the boy's gaze. He wasn't in his Garrison uniform. Instead, a NASA shirt and dark sweatpants. He seemed overjoyed to see Keith, in a quiet sort of way.

He must have noticed he was staring to long cause he hopped to his feet, nearly tripped over his magazines and held out his hand. "Er - um - hi, Keith! W-Welcome. To the dorm! Welcome to the dorm. And the Garrison." Keith hesitantly shook his hand.

"Hi," he said simply. He dropped his bag at the bottom bunk and sat down. The door whizzed close automatically. Matthew scratched at his neck uneasily and sat down at the desk.

"So... you were accepted into the Garrison, huh?" he asked.

Keith cocked up an eyebrow, "Um... yeah, that's... kinda why I'm here."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Matthew said hastily. "I know that. Just... er…" he started playing with the study work on his desk. "...making conversation." He turned back to Keith after some awkward silence. "You take the bottom bunk then?"

Keith shrugged. "If you have the top bunk, yeah."

Matthew nodded, "Yeah."

Keith decided to ignore him. He laid down on the bed and stared up at the bottom of the top bunk. He saw Matthew turn back to his work in the corner of his eye. _Thank god_.

XXX

A week has passed and Keith and Matthew made a silent agreement not to talk to each other. Matthew didn't seem to happy about it but obliged either way. They worked into a routine to walk into the room, study and then sleep. They never talked. Sometimes when Keith was sitting up in bed, struggling to sleep, he would hear Matthew tossing and turning on the top bunk. Every now and again, making a noise of frustration. He probably also had struggle sleeping. He once heard him talking on the phone, mentioning 'Pidge' and 'Katie'. (" _Hey, Pidge!"_

" _..."_

" _Sorry,_ Katie _."_ )

Keith didn't ask any questions.

Matthew has left a while ago to hand in some sort of report, so Keith was alone to his own thoughts. Shiro hasn't met Matthew yet, despite coming to the dorm so much. But when Keith mentioned he was a 'Holt', Shiro gaped and started talking about a man named Sam. Before he left he said something about 'making friends' and left.

Keith considered it for one second before letting it go. Feeling bored of the messy, quiet dorm room, Keith jumped off the bottom bunk and walked out the door. He was still in his Garrison uniform, which annoyed him immensely. But despite the uncomfortable wear, Keith kept it on.

He walked down the hallways, considering finding Shiro when voices caught his attention. It sounded like... Matthew. And a couple of other boys. He snuck around the corner since the voices didn't sound too friendly. He saw Matthew holding his arm, his cheeks flushed. They were laughing around him after saying something. Keith noticed Matthew's textbooks scattered on the floor. One word came to mind. Bullies.

Keith has had experience with bullies most of his life. The most previous one being James Griffin at the last simulator class. He felt bad for Matthew. Embarrassed in front of them. It could've been the previous event when he tripped into the Garrison swimming pool with a full bag of notebooks. Keith didn't talk to him about it, of course, but Matthew had seemed pretty miserable rewriting his homework. He wasn't sure what pushed him to it, but the next thing he knew, he was walking toward the crowd.

As he drew closer, he noticed they were much taller than him. But he didn't mind the height difference. He pushed past them toward Matthew. "Holt, you okay?"

Matthew looked up, startled. "Er - yeah. Fine."

"Aw," cooed the tallest kid mockingly. "Is your tiny roommate here to help you?"

Keith spun around as the bullies started laughing again. "What did you call me?"

The boy crossed his arms smugly, "Tiny? Aw, you don't like that?" He added leaning down to come eye to eye with Keith. Keith didn't mind his short stature, it was an advantage point. It helped him out a lot. But he didn't like people pointing it out.

Matthew pulled Keith back a bit when he noticed his fist clenching. "Don't do anything stupid. Just ignore them." He turned to them. "Look, I don't know what your problem is, but don't take it out on Keith."

The tall one sniggered, "Keef? Is that your name? Suits you right, kitten."

XXX

"He should've known better," Keith said, his arms crossed as Matthew hopped around the dorm. He has been talking for the last half hour.

He spun to Keith with a half frown, half smile. "Should've known better? _Should've known better?!_ My god, Keith! You punched the guy right in the stomach! While _Iverson_ was walking past! You got detention your first week. _Detention_. You seriously didn't have to do that!" He ran his hands through his hair. "I don't know whether to thank you, scream at you, be happy or utterly terrified."

Keith shrugged. "It was a customary gesture. You needed help." He smirked up at Matthew. "Besides, what kind of _tiny roommate_ would I be if I left you like that, Holt?"

Matthew studied Keith for a while before holding out his hand, a nervous smile on his face. "Call me Matt."

Keith considered it. He knew Shiro wanted him to make friends, but he hasn't really thought this through. Shrugging and simply thinking ' _YOLO_ ', he accepted Matt's hand and said, "I allow you to talk to me now."

Matt smiled. Bright instead of nervous. "Awesome."


	4. Narti

**It is Day Four of Keith Gen-Uary and I am really this opportunity sprung up! Narti is one of my favorite characters, so this is about Keith and Narti's relationship in my fanfic "** ** _Empire_** **". Feel free to read the fanfic when you want.**

 **Narti**

Keith has been awake for about three hours now. Staring blankly at the opposite wall. He was still wearing his Blade's outfit. The hum of space and the engines of the ship rung in his ears in an almost therapeutic manner. Keith closed his eyes, leaning against the headboard of his bed. He listened closely to every distant _click_ in his surroundings. He sighed and opened his eyes again, facing the ceiling this time. Insomnia got him hard that night.

He pulled the covers off his legs and pushed off the mattress. A familiar chill ran down his back, remembering a night just like this. He shrugged away the discomfort and proceeded to the door. It whizzed open silently and he stepped into the cold halls of the cruiser. He walked down the hall, his footsteps echoed in the cruiser. With a quiet _ssshing_ , he pulled his blade from the scabbard hooked to his belt. He studied the symbol, glowing in a soft blue hue.

He smiled as his fingers slid over the warm symbol. Even though he never met her, it carried warm memories of his mother. She was probably galra. Or the strange thing the others called _human_. He heard the name down at the gladiator match a week ago. A creature with dark hair was fighting Myzhaps. When he had asked, the galra simply shrugged and said, "Human. Looks a little like you, doesn' he?"

After that day, the 'human' was called Champion. Legendary for taking down Myzhaps in a single swing of his sword. He had looked pretty shaken up, but Keith couldn't blame him. He shrugged the memories of Champion behind him as he sheathed his blade. He walked towards the bridge of the ship.

The door opened instantly at a touch of his hand and he spotted Narti at the console. A smirk crossed his lips as he saw the sleeping cat, Kova, curled up at his master's feet.

He sneaked up behind her, making his steps quieter against the metal floor. He didn't notice as Kova opened his eyes and stared at Keith's approaching figure. Narti spun around, her nails only inches from Keith's neck. His body jerked still, staring down at her. Her tail swayed curiously. Keith held up his hands, palm up. "It's just me."

Narti lowered her hand, posture straightening. Kova hopped up on her shoulders, purring affectionately. "What you working on this late at night?" Keith asked, stepping back.

Narti made a curious purr, turning back to her dashboard. Her nails clicked around on the keys in a quick rhythm.

"I'm just taking a walk," Keith replied to her curiosity. "Now you?"

She clicked something in front of her and a map appeared. Keith sat down on the side of the dashboard, an eyebrow cocked.

"Isn't that... top secret?" Keith asked. He looked at Narti, her tail was still twirling around her own ankles. She nodded to his question. Kova yawned, a short meow in the back of his throat. He jumped onto the dashboard and hugged Keith's arm. Keith responded by stroking Kova's back in repetitive motions. "Why are you showing me something I'm not supposed to see?"

Narti shrugged, pulling down the map. She typed on. Despite never talking, Keith found that he could understand her. He understood one purr like it was a full sentence. Understood her questions and her replies. They have been close friends ever since they've met.

Another bonus, she had a cat. Keith loved spending time around Narti and Kova. It was quiet and calm. But it always lasted too short. After a moment of stroking Kova, and making quick conversations with Narti, he felt the familiar pulse in his blade.

"Wish me luck," Keith said, sliding off the dashboard and giving Kova a last pat on the nose. Narti purred in reply as Keith left the bridge. The door slid closed behind him before he took a deep breath, put on his mask and left the cruiser.


	5. Kolivan

**The fifth day of Keith Gen-Uary and I had a perfect idea. Hope you like it.**

 **Kolivan**

Daibazaal was surprisingly beautiful in the early mornings. Keith and Krolia would often go for walks in the fields and climb the rough mountains. Kosmo would join them at times. Keith didn't see his mom as often in the afternoon though. She would go out to the palace, where she and Kolivan held lengthy meetings. Keith sighed. This time, in the early awakenings of the day, Krolia couldn't join him. Even though the war has ended, Keith worried what took his mother so long. She has left the night before and hasn't returned yet. Keith had no reason to worry, but he did. But the rushing wind of trees and the steady pants of his cosmic wolf was a comfort.

Kosmo has grown a lot since the first time he found him in the Quantum Abyss. He has grown from a small wolf to a warhorse in a blink of an eye. At least, that's what Hunk called him. Keith missed the other paladins. Lance, Hunk, Pidge, and Shiro would come by Daibazaal often, and he would visit Earth and Altea regularly, but it has been a while. He had spent the last week with Krolia and Kosmo.

Kolivan has been spending less attention to the Blade of Marmora. Keith watched day by day as the organization was slowly forgotten.

He's seen the Blades less since there was no need for action. Peace was all over the universe now. No one needed Voltron either. As the days passed by, the black lion's connection to Keith faded as quick as the Blade of Marmora. It was strangely comforting to feel the bond die away. It gave him a piece of mind that there was no more danger out there. Black stood on a high pedestal somewhere in Daibazaal, and sometimes on Altea. Easy to reach, but no use after the war.

Four weeks ago, Keith called Shiro over to try and recreate a bond between them. They realized after five minutes of utter confusion that the reason the black lion was responding but wasn't flying, was because Keith was in the cockpit with him. It was a blissful ten seconds of thinking the lion has re-established its paladin. Keith couldn't help but smile at the memory. Shiro was now dating Curtis, someone from the Atlas crew that Keith has met about two months ago. He was a bit skeptical of the new guy, but slowly got used to the man's presence.

As he climbed up the well-known mountain, his mind couldn't help but wander to Lance. He hasn't heard from him in a while. He was still in grieving of Allura's demise but was doing a lot better as the days progressed. The long grass on the slope of the mountain was making him think of the farm Lance harbored. It wasn't what Keith expected Lance to do for the rest of his life after seeing his passion for piloting, but he kept him at it. Didn't push. After the events of the war, he understood Lance's hesitance towards the sky.

Sometimes, Keith would just go to the farm to make sure everything was alright with the McClains. He still had a juniberry flower in his room. A gift from his niece Nadia. He'd spent two hours at the McClains with the juniberry itching behind his ear just to see the little girl smile.

Sylvio would rant about new things he learned in the day whenever Keith came over. When he had nothing new to tell him, he would explain a story somewhere back into the war. Days spent of Earth, waiting for Voltron and the Atlas to come back home. Once, he did an impression of Keith's leadership. Including sounds of lasers, guns, and swords. He would put an extra ' _bam_ ' or ' _boom_ ' in for the extra drama.

Keith had asked his best impression of Shiro. Sylvio hid his arm in the sleeve of his shirt and dramatized about his lost arm. Pretty accurate to be honest. They both promised never to tell Shiro. The McClains came as close as family. So has the Holts.

Pidge and Matt were constantly around their lab. Their robot boy ' _Chip_ ' was still in the making, but Pidge has once offered Keith to pat it's decapitated head. Keith politely declined. Matt just put a bold hand on the metal hair of the boy and said, "What? Never touched a decapitated head before?" It came out pretty wrong. Sam and Colleen invited him over almost to every dinner with the other paladins after the war ended. And so did the Garretts. It was an epic battle against the Holts and the Garretts. They made up at the end with matching apple pies.

Keith arrived at the top of the mountain, overlooking most of Daibazaal. The sun hung low in the sky, rising in a beautiful spread of colors. Kosmo flopped down on a smooth rock, tired from the long walk. Keith seated himself next to the wolf. Together, they stared out across the horizon. The chirping of alien-like birds high up in the orange trees. It took Keith a while to realize they were not alone. He spun around at the sound of heavy footsteps, blade brandished at the ready. It was an instinct.

Kolivan stood before him.

"Kolivan," Keith said, hurriedly standing to his feet. It was odd seeing the leader of the Blades these days. He was able to smile more. He seemed to lighten. The tension in his shoulders was only caused by being a representative. Other than that, he was able to be more relaxed than ever.

"Keith," Kolivan replied with a curt nod. He walked forward and pushed down Keith's blade. "Don't worry, I'm not foe."

Keith sheathed his knife back into his belt. "I know. Still a little… antsy."

Kolivan chuckled, a foreign sound. He seated himself next to Keith and Kosmo. "It is expected of any war veteran. You are fresh out of a tossing Galactic War. I can't blame you for your paranoia." Keith shrugged, not taking his eyes off the rising sun. It was quiet between them. It felt strange being in Kolivan's presence without expecting a mission.

"What brought you here in the first place?" Keith wondered, turning to his old commander. "No offense, but you never stick around just for a friendly chat."

Kolivan shrugged in response, "Well, we were in a war back then. Of course not. But yes, I have come here for a particular reason." His commander's gaze tore away from the horizon, making eye contact with Keith. "The Blade of Marmora is slowly fading. I cannot lead them anymore. You have made a capable leader of Voltron. If you wish to stick back to the position of being a leader…" his eyes drifted back to the fields of Daibazaal. "I am offering you the chance to lead the Blades."

Keith waited for a while. To hear a foreign laugh to come from Kolivan. But none ever came. "You joking?" Keith asked, just to make sure.

Kolivan shook his head, "Obviously, the Blade of Marmora is no need for military combat. Now that the war is over. Several of the Blades are retiring, leaving the battle behind. And it is time for me to resign as their leader. You can take up my place as a leader and do what you think is necessary for the Blade of Marmora and its future." Keith stared up at Kolivan.

"I… I don't know," Keith shook his head. "Mom is the right hand, isn't she? Aren't you supposed to be giving the position to her?"

Kolivan looked back at Keith, "I already asked. She thought you were more worthy the leader. She wants to stay a representative. You don't need to agree. Feel free to decline. But consider the opportunity. Come and tell me if you're ready."

Keith studied Kolivan. He considered the possibility but he didn't know what to do. For the Blade of Marmora's future no less. Keith's mind traveled back to his days in the orphanage. Waiting and waiting for a foster family to accept him. None ever did. Until Shiro. He remembered his utter confusion and suppressed joy when he was finally accepted. He had lived a better life ever since.

He fought so that the universe could have that same feeling. "Can I go for some sort of trial?" Kolivan looked back down at Keith. Keith didn't even realize that their gaze has drifted back to the plains of Daibazaal. "Like... a week trial or something? Maybe, I don't know - maybe I'll come up with something then?"

Kolivan considered it. "If you want to give it a shot, sure." He ruffled Keith's hair, who jerked away in protest. "Be at my place this afternoon. I will give you the necessary attire." He got up and gave a friendly smile down at Keith. "If you don't arrive I will assume you chickened out and ask Axca."

Keith crossed his arms. "I won't chicken out."

Kolivan nodded. "I know you won't. But there is a possibility. Even though, Axca has been a good leader -"

"I will arrive!" Keith said, making Kolivan corrupt into a laughing fit. The galra ruffled his hair again before leaving with a salute. Keith saluted back.

He spent the rest of the sunrise, sitting next to Kosmo, thinking of things he could do to the Blade's future.

 **To be honest, this was really fun to write.**


	6. Krolia

**Day six has arrived and AHHHH it's Krolia! So, I didn't actually know what to write so, I came up with this.**

 **Krolia**

It's been fifteen years. Keith didn't think it would bother him anymore. But he was in the Quantum Abyss, so it could've been one of those flashes. The fire was curling around him. He was running, trying to find the exit. Wood boards would fall, obscuring his vision with black smoke. He coughed at the burning smell. He has been in the building for five minutes, and he couldn't breathe. He coughed, his throat raw from the pressure.

"Poppa!" Keith called out again. There was still no reply. He was calling for his dad for a while now. He was feeling light-headed and his knees kept giving out. "Poppa!" Still no reply.

His legs gave out again and he screeched as his hand got seared by one of the flames. He coughed again, the raw feeling in his throat burning up. "... _eith_ …"

Keith coughed again and pushed himself into a sitting position. "Poppa!?"

"... _eith_ …" the voice was drawing a little closer. Keith pushed himself off the ground and forced his legs to move. "...eith…" It was getting louder the longer Keith walked.

"Poppa!" he called again. The voice replied, more familiar at a closer distance. Keith couldn't tell where the voice was coming from. He yelped as someone swept him up from behind. He fought against the figure until he heard the voice of his father:

"Keith! Keith, it's okay. Calm down, we're gon' get outta here," Keith held tighter around his father's neck, tears welled up in his eyes. He felt them moving, turning back. It was gonna be okay. They were gonna get out. Keith sobbed as he clutched harder onto his father. His dad tried to reassure him as he hurried past the flames.

He felt his father stop and he held tighter. He felt his father kneel down and put him down on his feet. "Poppa?" Keith coughed again and felt his father hug him.

"You're gonna do great things, son," he said into Keith's hair. "You'll meet momma soon, I promise. You'll be okay."

"Pop-?" Keith erupted into a fit of coughs again and his father pulled away. He placed a kiss on Keith's forehead and pushed him out the small hole in the wall. Where the door used to be. Keith fell with a _thud_ in rhythm to glass breaking. Someone grabbed him and got away in time to hear a large explosion behind them. " _Poppa?_ " He coughed again and heard the voice of a woman reply:

"It's alright, you're gonna be fine," she whispered to Keith.

" _Keith! Keith, come on!_ " Keith heard a distant voice cry. He felt a pinch in his shoulder and weakly turned his head to the source of the noise. He faced Krolia, staring down at him in a panic. Keith's eyes were burning and his cheeks were cold from the wind. He noticed the wolf sit nearby, a whimpering low in his throat.

He lurched forward, his arms throwing around Krolia's neck. Another sob escaped his mouth, shaking slightly with tears. He felt Krolia pause before hugging back. "It's okay. It's okay."

He felt the wolf creep forward, pressing his nose against Keith's hand in a comforting gesture. "I-I miss D-Dad," Keith said in a shaky voice.

"Me too," Krolia whispered into his hair. "I miss him too, Keith."

His father's words rung in his head: " _You'll meet momma soon, I promise."_ Before he knows it, she will be pushing him to safety. She will leave him again. He held tighter, crying becoming louder. "D-don't leave me. Please."

"I won't leave you, Keith. Not again," Krolia whispered back.

" _Promise?_ " Keith asked desperately. Voice quivering. "Promise me."

Krolia pushed away from him. Keith broke eye contact, looking down at the wolf. She cupped Keith's face with her hands and brought his gaze back to her. "I won't leave you again, Keith. _I promise_."

Keith held her gaze for a while before he hugged her again. She held back quicker this time. The wolf whined in concern and hugged Keith with his tail. Keith accepted the comfort, holding onto his mother.


	7. Alfor

**Day Seven! Yay! This is pretty stupid but I tried.**

 **Alfor**

Keith sat on his bed in the Castle of Lions. His reflection was staring back up at him. The blade symbol glinted blue on the hilt. Keith sighed and shoved it under his pillow. He leaned back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. Red has been talking to Keith almost all day. Connecting with him for no reason.

Their bond wasn't growing stronger, Red was just connecting with him for a certain amount of time. Keith rolled on his bed, staring at the the opposite wall. It was about four vargas after bedtime but something was keeping Keith up. He heard a growl in the back of his mind and sat up. "What is it, Red?" Keith asked to open space. Red didn't reply until five dobashes later. Keith got the strange feeling of an intruder in the castle.

Keith grabbed his blade and walked out his door. The hallways were softly glowing with blue. All the other rooms were silent, just snores coming from both Hunk and Coran's room.

Keith walked down the hall, and turned a corner. His knife securely in hand, he walked to the bridge. As he arrived in the bridge, he sat down in his seat and opened the cameras. He scrolled through the screens until he got to the red hangar. It was static, a reddish glow covering his vision. Keith squinted trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

The cameras were breaking up so much, Keith saw two Reds. One standing on its respective platform and the other was slightly blocking the camera. Keith shut off the screens, grabbing his knife and making his way down to the hangar. Why were there two Reds in the hangar? Maybe he should let Pidge check it out tomorrow.

He arrived in front of the doors and scanned his hand. The doors whizzed open and Keith was faced with the Red Lion. It was looking down at him but something was wrong. It's eyes... they were blue.

"Red?" Keith questioned as Red growled down at him. "What's the matter, Red? It's -" He choked on his words as his nightmare came back to the forefront of his mind. This was a dream, it was the only possible explanation. He was about to leave when someone caught his attention. Standing at the foot of the lion was an... altean?

He had shoulder length, white hair, a beard and blue eyes. Blueish-green markings at the corners of his eyes. He was wearing red paladin armor, the helmet secure under his right arm. His bayard was in the other. Keith drew his blade up and glared at the altean. It was probably just a disguise. But the altean seemed so familiar. "What are you doing here?" Keith growled.

"This is my castle!" the altean replied. "And _you_ are trespassing." Red growled harder, sounding more like a roar. Keith glanced behind blue-eyed-red and froze. Red was looking at him, glowing yellow eyes and all. The altean seemed to follow his gaze, but snapped it back after it landed on the other lion. "What is this? Why have you brought it here?"

Keith turned his attention back to the altean. "I don't know who you are or how you got here -" he raised his blade. "-but you better leave. Now."

"I don't take commands in my own castle," the altean hissed back.

" _Your_ castle!?" then it hit him. King Alfor. Keith has seen a portrait of him in Coran's room. This was King Alfor of Altea. But how? The A.I was corrupted and shut off. How was he here? "Your King Alfor?" Keith asked cautiously, stepping back. Part of his mind yelled at him that this was just a dream, but part of Keith knew this was real.

"Yes," Alfor replied, bringing up his weapon. "What do you intend to do in my castle? And why is this clone here?" he gestured toward the lion with yellow eyes.

Keith blinked at him. This couldn't be Alfor. "I'm Keith. Paladin of the Red Lion."

Alfor coked up an eyebrow, "Paladin? Of the Red Lion?" Behind him, Blue Eyes growled in curiosity. Keith was really disappointed that Original Red didn't do anything yet. "How's that possible?"

"What's impossible is _you_ being here," Keith said. "You died 10,000 years ago."

Alfor finally lowered the broad sword, shrinking it back to the regular bayard. Keith lowered his blade to his side, gripping the hilt firmly. "What are you on about?"

"Altea was destroyed 10,000 years ago, how are you here?" Keith asked. Original Red finally decided to move, getting off the platform and growling at Alfor. Alfor looked back at Original Red while Blue Eyes kept his gaze on Keith.

Alfor looked down in confusion. "How... what... how is this possible? How has it been 10,000 years?"

Keith looked back up at Original Red and then back at Blue Eyes. "What happened? Before you got here? Can you remember?"

Alfor looked down in concentration. "The other Paladins and I... we were in the middle of a battle. We were forming Voltron when... I arrived here." He looked at Keith with a quizzical look. "That's it. Nothing logical about it."

"Your like... from the past?" Keith asked, subconsciously sheathing his blade. "But that's…" Keith looked up at Blue Eyes. "Maybe it has something to do with the comet."

Alfor looked up at Blue Eyes. He yelped in surprise, "What - What happened to Red's eyes?"

"You mean you didn't notice earlier?" Keith asked. "It's pretty clear."

Alfor shook his head, "I just got out of the lion when you showed up. There… could've been some sort of mix up with the red lion but... it could fly you 10,000 years into the future? This is just insane." Realisation crossed his features and he spun around. "What happened to Allura? And Mellanor?"

"Mellanor?" Keith asked, he yelped slightly when the doors closed behind him. He straightened up and continued. "Who now?"

"Mellanor, my wife. And Allura -"

Keith waved him off. "I know who Princess Allura is. And Coran. But I don't know a Mellanor."

Alfor nodded, "She... She must've died during the events of Altea. And Allura? Where is she?"

Keith pointed vaguely behind him, "She's somewhere in the castle. Sleeping. She's okay though. She's a diplomat, saving the universe against Zarkon."

Alfor's eyes widened. "A-against... Zarkon? What do you mean 'saving the universe against Zarkon'?"

Keith crossed his arms, "Well... I don't exactly know what happened. I just know that Zarkon became bad and is now conquering the known universe. He's after quintessence. And the black lion, it seems." Alfor looked back at Blue Eyes, who purred affectionately down at him. Keith knew this was a different Red from a different time, but he couldn't help glowering at the exchange. He looked at Original Red for comfort.

"So, he was driven mad with quintessence," Alfor finally spoke up. "I knew this would happen. He just wouldn't listen to me when I told him to close up the rift."

Keith didn't know what he was talking about but nodded in understanding anyway. "We better get you back to your time. Do you know anything magicy you can do to shoot yourself back 10,000 years? Back into your battle?"

Alfor looked up thoughtfully, "I can try something. It might work. I don't know if it will." He looked back up at Keith. "It's worth a shot."

XXX

Keith felt dizzy and he was not in the mood to fight this monster anymore. As it turned out, Alfor's plan _did_ work, but now he was back 10,000 years as well. The plan was to get into their Red Lion and connect with them. They had to focus on the energy of the lions. It actually worked, but with a cost. Voltron couldn't take the beast down and apparently, neither could an extra lion.

When he got too close, the beast would swing its tail and bounce him into a wall. Voltron would take action and the beast would dodge their attacks.

"Keith, are you alright?" Alfor called over the comms.

Keith coughed and pushed his hair out of his face. "I'm fine. How do we beat this thing?"

Zarkon, who Keith wasn't comfortable around and who was still very confused by the extra lion, spoke over the comms. "Voltron and Keith can't take this thing down. But we can't leave the citizens to die. Alfor, do you have any call on what to do?"

"I'm not sure," Alfor replied. "Red isn't responding and six unstoppable lions can't take it down. And before you say anything Blaytz, alchemy might not help in this matter."

"Maybe there's something Alfor and I could do," Keith spoke over the comms. "This creature has used a lot of water in its methods, if we can just distract it enough, maybe we could get a clear shot at its mouth." He pulled the pedals back as the creature shot another column of water at him.

"Alright," Zarkon replied. "I'll trust you on this, disband!"

Keith watched as Voltron scattered and Alfor joined Keith's side. Blue Eyes looked a lot more like Original Red, so his new name was now Past Red. Keith didn't make the rules. "Okay, let's do this!"

Past Red sped up behind the creature and used his lasers to the back of its head. Keith pulled Red to face the creature from the front. He took a risky shot for its face, but it easily hid itself with a barrier. The other lions gathered in the sky as covering fire.

"I have an idea!" Alfor called over the comms. "It uses his mouth for the barrier. If you can shoot long enough, maybe I can come in from the side."

"Alright," Keith called over the comms, pulling away from the creature's strike. "Zarkon, Trigel, Blaytz and…"

"Gyrgan," the yellow paladin replied.

"Yeah! You pin its tail down as long as you can," Keith finished off.

"On it!" Trigel called, speeding down with Green.

"Woohoo!" Blaytz called as he pulled Blue in a nosedive.

"Let's do this!" Gyrgan called as he spun down in Yellow.

Zarkon wordlessly pulled down in Black. On cue, they shot at the large serpent's tail. Before it could turn to them, Keith shot a column of fire at the serpent's head. It opened its mouth on instinct, building up a wall of water. Its tail was stuck under the heavy fire, making it stay on the ground. Alfor jumped off the ground and went to the side of it's head. Opening Red's jaw, fire shot into the serpent's mouth.

The creature dropped the barrier and roared. Smoke coiled from its mouth and its scales started heating up with a yellow glow. "I think that's our signal to get out of here!" Trigel called over the comms. Keith followed the other paladins away from the chaos.

As soon as they were far enough, they heard the creature combust with one last shriek. The lions turned around and saw no remnants remained behind.

"We did it!" Blaytz called in victory after a moment's silence. After their cheers of victory was over, even Keith couldn't help the laugh that escaped his mouth, Alfor turned the conversation serious again.

"Our mission isn't over yet. Once we tell the planet's occupants that they are safe from harm's way, we have to get Keith back to his own time."

"How do we do that?" Trigel asked.

"This might be simpler actually," Alfor said. "We can go back to Altea and find out what to do there. Or maybe Honerva might know."

There was silence for a while before Zarkon replied, "Perhaps. Let's finish what we need to do here and go to Daibazaal. Honerva might be the best choice now."

XXX

The paladins were definitely confused about Keith's appearance. He couldn't blame them. They haven't discovered humans yet. They arrived on Daibazaal after a cheerful celebration from the _Arusions_ , and came into a sort of study.

An altean with grey hair and red markings stood in front of a monitor. She turned around at the sound of the door and froze. "Who is this?" she asked, regarding Keith. After a quick introduction and explanation about Keith, Honerva regarded him with a curious look. "I have an idea what you can do. Who is your bond the strongest with, back in your time."

"Shiro," Keith said. "He's the leader."

Honerva nodded. Something about her was very familiar. "Alright, if this doesn't work, the others will report to me. Once you are in your lion, bond through the lion to the black lion from your time. To make your point across of which one, think of this man you call Shiro."

"Will that work?" Blaytz asked.

"I don't know, but we should try," Honerva said.

Keith nodded. "Okay. I have to get back to the other paladins right now. So we need to hurry."

They left the study and before Keith entered Red, he hesitated and turned to Alfor. "I wish Allura could've met you again. She and Coran are the only alteans left in the future. She shut off your A.I a while ago, but she's still grieving. It would've been great for her to see you again."

Alfor nodded. "She seemed to have come a long way. A diplomat. Keeping the universe safe. No matter what she does, she always will make me proud. Try and tell her that. Without sounding suspicious about all of this."

Keith chuckled, "Yeah. I will. Now I need to hurry. If Shiro doesn't find me in the castle, he might just tear up the entire universe looking for me."

Alfor laughed, "I hope this works."

"Me too," Keith walked up into the lion. He sat down in the cockpit seat and touched the pedals. He closed his eyes and focused on the connection again. As soon as he was able to get deep enough into Red's mind, he concentrated on the Black Lion. The future black lion. As instructed, he thought of Shiro, waiting in the black hangar.

When he opened his eyes, he was back in the Red hangar. He heard a door open somewhere outside the lion and saw Shiro run in.

"Keith! Keith, where are you!?" He called, looking around the hangar. Keith jumped out of the chair and ran out of the red lion. As soon as Shiro saw him, he visibly relaxed. "There you are. We tried calling you over the comms, checking the cameras and we were looking everywhere! Where have you been?"

Keith waved vaguely. "Just out for a flight. Calm down, it's not like I went battling unstoppable creatures." _Only one,_ Keith thought.

Shiro nodded, "Okay, okay. I... thought you might've taken Red out for a bit, but I wasn't sure. C'mon, training is about to start."

Keith groaned, "I should've slept inside the lion."


	8. Red

**It's the eighth day of Keith Gen-Uary! I was so excited for this day.**

 **Red**

Keith was a regularly good pilot, but he's never flown an alien lion before. Attacking Sendak's cruiser was all under pure adrenaline and when he got Red for the first time, he was just playing around. He eased the red lion down into its hangar. He was starting to get the hang of it at least.

He finally landed with a metallic _thump_. He sighed and leaned back in the seat. He looked down at his armor. He was in an alien war. It was finally sinking in. Keith rubbed his face in his hands, resting his elbows against his knees. He was light years away from Earth and traveling the galaxy to bring forth peace. In a giant. Red. War machine. He didn't expect his life to take such a big leap.

He heard the strange metallic purr from Red and looked up startled. He noticed Shiro walking into the hangar through the windshield. Keith took a deep breath and got out the chair. As he walked out the lion's mouth, he couldn't help admiring the curves in the mechanics.

"Hey," Shiro said, stepping forward. He looked up at the lion with a more fond expression. "Land alright?"

Keith wordlessly nodded as he stepped out of the lion's maw. He folded his arms. "There are some... new works to the pedals, but I will get the hang of it. I flew it this long."

Shiro chuckled, "I guess you did." Red pulled up into a sitting position, its yellow eyes turning black. Keith didn't notice Shiro looking at him until he spoke. "Sorry to send you out on your own like that. Pidge and I found some prisoners though, and we were able to free them."

Keith shrugged, "I found the lion, didn't I?" Keith looked back up at the Red Lion. "No need to say sorry."

Shiro sighed, "The same with the Kerberos Mission. For leaving you alone on Earth."

"It's fine, Shiro," Keith said, tearing his gaze away from Red. "I found you too. Besides, now you have a prosthetic arm. You always wanted one didn't you?"

Shiro pouted at his arm, "Well... yeah. But I miss my old arm now. This one's uncomfortable." Keith yelped as the prosthetic arm started to glow a purple-pink. The light immediately shut off as Shiro jumped and sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. "Oh yeah, just Pidge was there. Forgot."

"Dude, that thing can glow!" Keith said, inching closer to the arm. "How - How did you do that? Did they feed you - like - flashlights or something."

Shiro laughed, lighting it up again. "No. They decided I would look nice with a weapon glued onto me, I guess."

"Wait, wait, wait," Keith said, waving his hands in the sky. "It's a weapon? Like, can it cut through metal? Does it hurt when you light it up?" Keith internally cringed at his string of questions. "Was that too many questions at once?"

Shiro just laughed, "It _is_ a weapon, I _can_ cut through metal and no. It doesn't hurt when I light it up. I expected it would, but... not really. And to answer your last question, yes. That was too many questions at once but I was able to give answers."

Keith smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"No need to apologize," Shiro said as he patted Keith on the back. "Come on, join the rest of us in the dining hall. Hunk and Coran decided we needed to eat something after the battle." The two of them walked out of the hangar.

XXX

Keith kept tossing and turning. He couldn't sleep. Questions were running through his head. Alien faces and voices filled his head. He couldn't wrap his mind around all of this. His head slightly throbbed with the new information.

After what seemed like five hours, Keith sat up in bed and looked up at the ceiling. He sighed and leaned back against the wall.

He sat in silence for a while before he stepped out of bed. He quickly sheathed his blade and pulled on his boots before he exited his room. He looked around the unfamiliar halls and took a right. He didn't know where he was going, but he just needed a walk to clear his head.

His mind traveled back to the fight with Sendak, getting the Red Lion, finding Shiro again, meeting aliens called alteans, learning about war and piloting the red lion. All in one day. Keith envied Allura and Coran. He wanted to sleep for 10,00 years but he can't so much as lay down comfortably. As he studied the kitchen, he considered locking himself in a cryo-pod until morning. Maybe be would be able to rest for a little while. Someone will find him.

But he didn't know how to work with the things and if no one _did_ find him, he will be frozen for quite a while.

He shuddered at the thought. He preferred the warm more than the cold. Keith left the kitchen, finding no use there anymore. He walked past a couple of closed doors, down some stairs and into storage closets.

He didn't recognize anything about the castle, so he felt uncomfortable walking alone. He held out his knife just in case something sprung at him. Keith walked for a while more before he stopped in front of a familiar door. He hesitantly scanned his hand and the doors opened up. He walked inside and, as he turned the corner, looked up at the Red Lion.

It didn't look back at him. Just like in the cruiser, it stayed frozen in place. The dark room made the red metal darker, resembling more of a black. Its eyes were empty and dark. The wind whistled softly around the room, creating an eerie atmosphere.

Keith walked toward the lion, but it didn't bow down. It stayed rooted to the spot. Keith touched a hesitant hand along the metal of the claws. He ran his hand along the lion's paw as he walked forward. The lion seemed to tower over him and Keith took in everything of the lion. The smooth red metal building the lion's chest, two doors were built in the middle.

From earlier quick lessons with the Alteans, Keith assumed that's the opening for the motors or whatever they were called.

Knowing fully well the lion won't hear him, he hoisted himself up on the lion's right claw and said, "Hi, Red." As expected, the lion didn't respond. Sitting silently, staring at the opposite wall with dark eyes. Keith wondered who previously piloted the red lion and how he was expected to do it. Allura said something about a connection, a bond between lion and paladin. Keith felt no bond with Red and it was pretty obvious Red felt no bond with Keith.

As he studied the lion more, he realized there were powers to these ships that they didn't even know of yet. He wondered how to unlock them and what they were. It bothered him how much he studied the blue lion's carvings but knew so little about Voltron. He let out a frustrated sigh and his head fell into his hands. " _Why do so many things just_ not _make sense?_ "

He sat there for a while, silence in the room calming. He laid down on the lion's paw, one leg dangling off the edge. He looked up at the underside of the lion's jaw. He held a staring contest with the metal for a while before closing his eyes. He threw an arm to cover his face.

He felt a shift under him and the creak of metal. He shot up, losing his balance slightly. He heard the faint glow of something being turned on. The lights in the room were still off. Keith looked up and nearly yelped as he came into contact with the red lion's yellow eyes. It craned its neck as to see Keith, the yellow lights in its eyes causing faint spotlights to fade onto Keith.

It let out the mechanical purr again as it studied Keith. "H-hey, Red," Keith repeated, slowly running his hand along the metal of the paw. The lion didn't respond, looking down at Keith with the purr running through its engines. Keith shifted off the foot of the lion and stepped back. The lion followed his action until it leaned its head down and opened its jaw.

Keith stared for a while before asking, "Is there danger?"

Red still didn't answer. Keith stepped into the lion's mouth and walked up into the cockpit. He sat down and the pilot chair slid toward the controls. As Keith grabbed hold of the pedals, the lion leaned its head up and jumped off the ground. The hangar doors automatically slid open. "Where are you taking me?" Keith asked as he saw the purple sky of Arusia.

His eyes burned a bit from the light from outside. He blinked a few times and scanned his surroundings. Red flew through the air, going nowhere in particular. After a couple of minutes of aimlessly flying, Red landed on a high rock.

Keith cocked up an eyebrow. "What... are we doing here?"

 _Go to the roof_ , something talked inside Keith's head. He blinked several times before getting off the chair. He walked up to the manhole in the head of the lion and pushed himself through the gap. He looked around, jumping slightly as the doors closed. Keith looked up and gasped.

The sun was rising, casting Arusia in orange light. The sky was blue melding with violet. Pink clouds dotted his view. Keith walked forward and sat down on the edge of Red's head. He looked at the view and remembered the sun rising over the desert. Sand dunes becoming bright yellows and heat rushing over his skin. The sunrise and set were one of Keith's favorite things back on Earth. And here it was again. Keith didn't see any remnants of their last battle in his line of vision. Just an orange glow over a beautiful field. The Castle of Lions glinted with the brightness of the sun.

"Thanks, Red."


	9. Iverson

**Nineth day of Keith Gen-Uary. I didn't have much of an idea what to write so this is super short.**

 **Iverson**

It was a tough battle.

Keith thought he was going to die as soon as the Robeast exploded. He woke four days later to his mother and Kolivan. Kosmo was also being healed since the wolf got roughed up in battle. It's been an hour since Kolivan and Krolia left, and Keith was all alone in the Garrison hospital room.

Keith wished Shiro was there. Ever since the crash of Voltron, citizens were hounding him with questions. He had to give a speech which Keith didn't see, but Krolia said it was pretty inspiring. Keith stared out the window, feeling the familiar loneliness take its toll. He leaned back against the wall, staring at the rain on the window. Lance was probably freaking about it right now.

Keith turned his attention to his hands and looked up when he heard a knock on the door. "Come in." The door opened and Kosmo ran in. The wolf jumped on the bed and started licking at Keith's face. "Kosmo!" Keith cried in surprise, trying to push the wolf off. "H-hey, boy." Kosmo sniffed at the bandage around his head and growled at it. Keith patted his head reassuringly. He looked at the door to see Iverson standing there. "Commander Iverson, sir."

"How ya feelin', cadet?" Iverson asked as he stepped into the door, the door closing behind him.

Keith subconsciously rubbed at the bandage around his head, "Hurts a little, but I'm good."

Iverson nodded, "That's good. Shiro sends a message. He says that he will be here in roughly thirty minutes. In that time, I have to 'guard you'."

Keith cocked up an eyebrow as he sat down on a nearby chair. "Guard me? What, is someone planning to steal me?"

Iverson chuckled, "Not that I know of, but he's being a little paranoid." He gestured toward Kosmo. "I brought your companion here since he was all healed up. Thought you might wanna see him."

Keith smiled at Kosmo, who was now heavily laying on his lap. "I did actually. Thanks, sir."

"It was my pleasure," Iverson shrugged. "The poor thing seemed a little lost. What's his name anyway?"

"Er - Kosmo," Keith said. " _Temporarily_. He can talk, he's just shy."

"Talk!?" Commander Iverson asked, looking bewildered. "Has he said anything in front of you."

"No," Keith replied. "But it comes from space and can teleport, so it's implied that he can talk too. Just stubborn."

Iverson nodded in understanding, "Well, once it says something, make sure to inform me. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet a teleporting, talking space wolf."

Keith laughed, "Yeah. I'll make sure to do that." They sat in silence, Keith stroking Kosmo's fur. Iverson brought up the conversation (which was mostly about dogs) that Keith didn't mind. After meeting Kosmo, Keith has become a bit of a dog person.

"Hippos are still better," Keith protested when Iverson asked.

After a few updates on the other paladins, that they were healing and Lance kept complaining that he couldn't go out into the rain, Shiro walked into the room. He smiled at the sight of Keith and immediately enveloped him in a hug. "Keith! You're awake," he pulled away, looking over Keith like he was a rare treasure. "I was so worried. You didn't wake up when the others did and then another day went by and you still weren't up but this morning they told me you woke up but I couldn't see you because of the debriefings and the questions kept rolling in -!"

"Shiro!" Keith yelled, catching his attention. "Calm down. I'm fine. I woke up and I know why you didn't come. And Shiro, please breath."

Shiro let out the breath he was holding, "Sorry. Sorry, I was rambling. Thanks, Iverson."

"No problem, Shirogane," Iverson as he stood up from his chair, the amused look still on his face. "I need to be going. It was nice talking with you, Cadet Kogane."

"You too, Commander Iverson," Keith said as Iverson gave him a short salute. As soon as the door closed behind him, Keith glowered at Shiro. "Guard me?"


	10. Sendak

Keith flew over Earth's horizon, looking frantically for any sign of Shiro. He wondered if Shiro even got off the cruiser in time. Sweat streaked down Keith's cheeks in nervousness. Finally, his eyes laid on the two figures on the ground. Keith's heart clenched at the sight. Sendak hovering over Shiro, who laid still. Admitting defeat.

"No!" Keith summoned his Bayard as he opened the jaw of the Black Lion. It closed in on the galra commander and Keith ran to the open jaw. The doors opened up and Keith hopped out the lion's mouth. The bayard formed into a sword as he fell down.

Everything seemed to go into slow motion as Keith fell. Sendak's look of horror as Keith drew closer and closer, the sword's slash as it cut through Sendak's middle. Keith rolled on the ground and he stopped on his knee, **(cause he extra as quiznack)** taking in deep breaths. He heard Sendak flop onto the floor behind him and Keith pushed off the hot sand.

He ran over to Shiro and helped him sit up.

Shiro smiled up at him, "Thank you."

 **Sendak has no place in Keith's heart. In** ** _ANY_** **reality.**


	11. Regris

**The eleventh day of Keith Gen-Uary. I do not own Voltron, but this is cannon!**

 **Regris**

Keith raised his blade which grew into a sword instantly. He waited for the galra to strike. They have done this so many times that Keith thought he might've just learned his tactics. The two stared at each other. The ghoulish mask eyeing him curiously. He waited for Keith's move. Great. Keith decided it was now or never, and darted forward, sword at the ready. Regris stood still, waiting for him. As soon as Keith was close enough, he ducked out of Regris' strike. His sword sliced at the shoulder of the armor but only grazed the edge as Regris bumped him with the hilt of his sword. He grabbed Keith's wrist and twisted.

Keith let out a pained scream and started to pant.

Kolivan spoke over the speakers, "That's it for the day."

Regris let go of Keith's wrist, making him fall to the ground. Keith pushed himself onto his back and rubbed at his wrist. "You take this training thing very seriously, Regris."

The galra shrugged, heading over to a cooler in the side of the room. After rummaging around for a bit, he came back and gave him a water pouch. Keith sat up and took the water from him. "Thanks," he said as Regris sat down on the ground. It was a normal day of Marmora training. Keith also saw this as an escape from being a leader. Maybe if he did it enough times, Shiro would rebond with the black lion. That sent a chill of hopefulness down Keith's spine.

"We have a mission coming up," Regris broke the silence, looking up from a galran device. "Kolivan wants to know if you want to join in on it. Otherwise, he can choose a different Blade for the job."

Keith looked up at Regris, "What kind of mission?"

"Infiltration mission," Regris replied. "An underwater galran base. There has been a couple of shippings to the certain location. A ship is ready but Kolivan needs someone else to accompany us. He wanted to know if you would take it."

Keith considered the mission, "Well, yeah. Of course. There isn't really anything for Voltron but parades. I guess I can make an exception for one mission."

"Alright, if you are so sure," Regris raised the device back to eye level. Keith took another gulp of water before he got off the ground and laid it back in the cooler. When he turned around, Regris was waiting for him at the main doors. Keith hurried over to his side and they both exited the training room.

"So, when is this mission?" Keith questioned.

Regris shrugged, "I don't know. I'm about to ask Kolivan if you want to join me."

"And talk to the Big Boss? Yeah, why not," Keith said, putting a bit of a spring to his step.

Regris shook his head, his tail swinging in disappointment. "You're not acting your age. What made you so jolly?"

Keith stopped and crossed his arms, "Aren't I allowed to be happy?"

Regris groaned, "Yes. Yes, you _can_ be happy. But don't be so upright jolly that you are jumping about the base like a schoolgirl." He continued his way down the hall. Keith glowered after him.

"I am _not_ 'jumping about the base like a schoolgirl'!" Keith defended, hurrying to catch up with Regris again.

"Yes you are," Regris replied. "If we made the walls out of mirrors, you would be as embarrassed as I am."

Keith smirked at him, "Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?"

"Have you seen your size?"

Keith's smirk dropped, "Because I'm short!"

"You're the size of a galra twelve-year-old, Keith," Regris said honestly. "Face it, you are very small."

Keith pouted, "Just because I'm not a husky full grown galra, doesn't mean I am _small_. I am considered quite tall for the average human."

Regris eyed him for a moment before shaking his head, "Nah. I've seen that Hunk friend of yours, you are just small in general."

Keith groaned, "Can we not talk about my height all the way there?"

Regris nodded. "Sure. But what do you think the others talk about when you are around the base?"

Keith's eyes widened. "Are you messing with me? Or are the others talking behind my back?"

"The half breeds here are taller than you, Keith," Regris replied matter-of-factly.

Keith huffed, "Doesn't make it any better." The two of them continued their walk in silence. Every galra they passed, Keith eyed a bit suspicious. He kept wondering, _Do they_? As he walked past. It probably made him look slightly insane.

After a quick talk with Kolivan, Regris and Keith got everything they needed to know. Keith sat down on Regris' bed without permission. "Quiznack! That's a lot to process."

Regris took in Keith's position before turning his back to his monitor. " _Mmmhmm_."

Keith pouted at him and fell down onto his back. "You're just gonna ignore me?"

"Yup," Regris replied from his space in front of the desk. Keith shrugged and pushed into a more comfortable position on the bed. He looked up at the ceiling and counted the cracks. When he got to seventy-four, Regris spoke up again. "You're just gonna hang around here."

" _Mmmhmm_ ," Keith replied. "It's not like I need to go back to the Castle yet. The mission is in two quintants. There's enough time." He turned to face Regris. "Besides, I told you. Voltron doesn't do much these days. It's a rare occasion to start fighting galra cruisers. They'll notify me if something like that happens." He fished out a device from his pocket. "It's why I have this thing."

Regris eyed the thing with interest, but only for a second before he looked down at the screens again. "You are really content with annoying me, aren't you?"

Keith laughed, shoving the device back into his pocket.

XXX

Keith grunted as he pushed the door open with his blade. He looked back at Regris. "There's not enough time. Come on!"

"Just a few more ticks," Regris said, his back turned.

Keith felt fear close around him. Suffocating him. He lost so many people in his life. He can't lose Regris too. He shot toward the half-galra, but felt Kolivan's arm wrap around his waist. He pulled him down the hallway, away from the door. Keith struggled against the grip on his throat. "Regris! No!"

BOOM!


	12. Pidge

**Day 12. And guess what. It's:**

 **Pidge**

Keith couldn't sleep.

It has just been so crazy for the last couple of months. Stress and anxiety gnawed on his insides day after day, making him feel sick. Shiro was gone. That whole battle against Zarkon... it was a mistake. The war has ended, but with a cost. Keith turned onto his side and let out a huff of frustration. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw it again. The bayard stuck into the lion, the seat empty. His eyes snapped open. He wasn't gonna rest anytime soon.

He decided that trying wasn't gonna help either, so he pushed himself up and got out of bed. He walked toward the door, not minding to put his boots on. He walked down the echoey hallways, nothing but the sound of his own breath whispering in his ears.

It was lonely in the castle. Tension so thick in the air, Keith felt like he was trying to walk underwater. Breathing was difficult. He stopped his pace and sat down in the middle of the floor. He took deep breaths, chasing away the panic attack.

His breathing became shaky when he closed his eyes. An empty chair. Alone Bayard. No one holding the pedals. No stupid, kind smile. No 'we did it'. No Shiro. His eyes snapped open when he felt the hot tears start to slide down his cheeks. He held his breath before he started crying anymore. He sat in the middle of the hall. Frozen. His knees drawn up to his chest, hands in his hair, holding his breath.

"Keith?" He wasn't sure how long he sat like that but the sound of his name brought him back to reality. "Keith!" He heard footsteps behind him, drawing closer. Keith didn't know why he hasn't moved yet. "Ke- oh no. Keith! Keith, breath!" the voice was next to him now. He turned his attention to the person kneeling next to him. Pidge was there. Her hair was wild and her glasses askew. They glinted a bit in the blue light.

As soon as his eyes found Pidge's honey brown ones, he let out the breath he forgot he was holding. His head was buzzing less and didn't feel as heavy. He coughed a bit, his head throbbing with the pressure. He saw Pidge sit down next to him and felt her rub his back. "What were you _doing_? Holding a breath holding contest with the _wall_?" Keith shook his head, still feeling a little dazed, so it probably looked like he nodded. By the annoyed groan Pidge gave, it probably was a nod. "What made you think _that_ was a good idea?"

Keith lowered his hands from his hair and buried his face in his arms. He gritted his teeth, trying to suppress any crying. He couldn't cry in front of Pidge. But he let out a sharp sob and held his breath again, trying to cover it up. But he felt Pidge's hand jerk and knew that she heard him. "Keith?" He heard her skeptical voice. Keith didn't reply. Pidge sighed and sat down next to him. She grabbed him close to her chest and hugged him. Keith tried to jerk away but instead, his hands came around her back and hugged her.

Pidge didn't say anything. She just held on and rubbed his back in soothing circles. They sat in the floor for a while before Pidge broke the hug. She got to her feet and held out her hand for Keith. He accepted her hand and was helped to his feet. He followed her aimlessly around the castle until they got to the lounge. She sat down and gestured for him to sit next to her. "Sit down," she demanded.

Keith listened, sitting down next to her. He didn't like the silence that followed. She simply stared at Keith as he suppressed the tears from falling. "Is this about Shiro?" Keith looked back at her with surprise.

"What?"

She leaned forward, looking up at him curiously. "Is this about Shiro? Sitting in the middle of the floor on the edge of a breakdown?" Keith tore his gaze from her. He simply shrugged. She sighed and played with her shirt. "I know how that feels. When dad and Matt were assumed dead, I - I couldn't get my head clear. I did so many things against the _law_ just to find them. It's…" she trailed off. "It's really hard." Keith nodded. He stared at the floor blankly. He felt Pidge's hand fall on his shoulder. "It gets better after a while. It's _hell_ for the first few days but, then you get something and… Quiznack! It's still hell. But you know that they are alive and it makes everything so much better."

Keith sighed. "I - I know. I know it's hard, I definitely feel it. But I also feel like… we _won't_ get a lead on him. That maybe he's…"

Pidge nodded in understanding. "Yeah... I once felt the same. Thought that maybe they _were_ dead. But I never stopped, despite what anyone said. Despite what _I_ thought. We're gonna find Shiro, Keith. We're gonna find him."

Keith gave a dry laugh, "I guess we're at stage one again, huh? The Kerberos Team is gone, you're looking for Matt and your father. I'm looking for Shiro."

Pidge smiled. "This time... you're not alone."

 **I love their friendship. Anyone who follows me on Tumblr (yelmor-boots) knows that by now.**


	13. Hunk

**Day Thirteen.**

 **Hunk**

Four attempts, different techniques, and the space flour still found its way on the floor. Keith groaned and threw the packet onto the counter. "How is this calming?" Hunk laughed at his misery. And here Keith thought he was a good person. He pouted at the yellow paladin before taking off the ridiculous apron. He glowered at the strange printed picture. "This is not appropriate."

"There was no other aprons," Hunk shrugged. "Sorry, man."

Keith glared back at Hunk, "I'd feel more comfortable _without_ the apron than wearing ' _Kiss the Cook_ ' for the Universe to see."

"Oh! Calm down," Hunk bumped him with his shoulder. An affectionate touch that Keith despised. It would be better if they pushed you to the floor and scream 'I love you' over their backs. "The universe can't see you!"

" _Zarkon's laughing at me_ ," Keith grumbled, throwing the apron aside. Of course, Keith had some knowledge of cooking but he wasn't a culinary genius like Hunk. He couldn't tell the difference between regular sugar and space sugar. He washed his hands off and sat down near Hunk. He let his head fall on the counter. He had to agree; that was a little overdramatic.

Hunk sighed and moved to Keith's abandoned bowl. "Zarkon isn't laughing at you, Keith. Don't hurt your head either." He looked up from his stirring. "You aren't hurt, right?"

Keith raised his head and, instead, leaned against his hand. "No. I'm fine. So back to my regular question. Why do you like cooking so much?"

Hunk smiled as he added some spices to the food. "Family thing. We would make food together all the time. Dad taught me how to cook." He got a thoughtful look on his face. "I was about... eight or... nine?" He shook his head. "Anyway, we always did this together. What about you? You do any fun activities with _your_ family growing up?"

Keith tensed and looked down at his hand. "Well... Dad and I used to do some things but…" he let out a sigh as he trailed off. "That didn't last long."

Hunk hummed, not looking up from the bowl. "What stopped it?"

Keith stayed silent what felt like hours before he took a deep breath and muttered, "He died."

Hunk looked up from the food he was making. He studied Keith's face like he was waiting for him to shout 'SIKE' and go into an instant story. But Keith didn't do such a thing. "Y-you serious?"

Keith nodded.

"Oh man! Keith! I'm sorry, I didn't know!" Hunk said hastily waving his hands around. "I mean, I knew about your mother but not that - Aw man! I'm so sorry! And here I am, talking about family and I'm sorry, Keith."

Keith waved him off, a small smile stretching on his face. "Don't apologize. It happened years ago. I'm over it."

Hunk stared skeptically for a moment before relaxing. "So... what... what happened, exactly?"

Keith studied Hunk for a moment before just simply saying, "Fire." A sadder smile overtook his features. "H-he was a real hero."

Hunk blinked at him. "I suppose he was."

They didn't talk for a while. Hunk continued cooking and Keith studied his hands. After a couple of dobashes, Keith got out of his seat and headed for the door. "I'm going to the training deck. Call me when you're done."

"Keith," Hunk said.

Keith turned around, "Yeah?"

Hunk shifted his feet for a second before saying, "I still mean it, y'know. Voltron, we're a family. You aren't alone anymore."

Keith smiled. "I know."


	14. Curtis

**I just really felt like teasing Curtis today.**

 **Curtis**

Keith walked around the Atlas. The last battle was rough, but at least Voltron was able to beat it. He needed time to clear his head so he left for the bridge. If he was lucky, maybe he would walk into Shiro. When he got to the bridge, Keith was disappointed to see that Shiro wasn't there. He sat on a nearby chair and stared down at his hands. "Er - hi there," Keith jumped at the sound of someone's voice. Keith thought he was alone on the bridge. His eyes darted to the source of the noise.

A man with dark skin, brown hair and blue eyes were staring back at him. His hands were hovering over the keys of his monitor. "Oh - um - hi," Keith replied. "You still busy?"

The man nodded, "Yeah. Decided to do some extra work. Besides, you never know when you're needed for another battle." He shuddered as he turned back to his monitor. "The last battle was pretty intense."

"Yeah, it was," Keith said. He got up from his seat. "Well, seeing that you're busy -"

"What? No! You don't need to go," the man waved him off with a polite smile. "I'm almost done here anyway."

Keith pulled at his gloves, unsure. "Oh - um - okay." Keith sat back down and returned to his thoughts. His mind played back to the battle. He wondered what that thing even _was_. He was exhausted but couldn't sleep. He wished the day would just end.

"You're the Leader of Voltron, right?" Keith looked back the man and nodded. "Must be a stressful job."

Keith shrugged, "Yeah. Shiro was actually the original leader of Voltron but... things got in the way, I guess. War happened. People changed and left." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'd give anything for this war to be over now."

The man sighed, sounding equally tired. "Yeah. I feel the same way. I never signed up to fight in an intergalactic war, but hey. If it's for the good of the universe right?"

Keith smiled at him. "What's your name anyway?"

"Curtis," he said, almost instantly. "And you? I've never really gotten your name."

"Keith," Keith replied. "So, Curtis... do you know where your captain is off to?"

He wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light, but he was pretty sure he saw a blush pass over Curtis' face. He looked back at the screens, "N-no. Well, I know that he left the bridge, because - I mean," he gestured vaguely. "He's not here so obviously, that is - er - obvious. I'm sure he will be back soon."

Keith studied Curtis for a bit. _Does he…?_ Keith couldn't help the smirk that crossed his face. He got up from the seat and walked over to Curtis' side. "Do you have a thing for my brother?"

Curtis yelped when he heard Keith's voice. "W-what!? Captain Shirogane? No! Never! I mean, he's a nice guy and all but I don't - er -"

"No, no," Keith waved him off, but the smirk didn't leave his face. "I get it. I get it." He leaned against Curtis' chair, cleaning his nails. Silence remained between the two of them until Keith noticed that Curtis had some water. He tried suppressing his grin as he watched Curtis take a mouthful of the beverage. "You know, Shiro's single."

Curtis did a very clear spit take, "What!?"

Keith shrugged, trying for a casual facade, "Shiro. He's single if you were curious."

"I - I told you! I'm not - er - interested," Curtis spluttered.

"Yeah, yeah," Keith said, rolling his eyes and walking toward the door. "You make that very clear. I need to get back to my team." He grinned back at Curtis before he left. "Treat him well."

The last thing he heard from Curtis was his protests about his obvious crush.


End file.
